QR (“Quick Response”) codes are popular matrix barcodes for encoding information in one or more of four standardized encoding modes—matrix, alphanumeric, byte/binary, and/or Kanji (i.e., Japanese characters). QR codes, which are two-dimensional, may hold approximately 100 times more information than traditional one-dimensional barcodes such as UPCs. In addition, QR codes may be digitally scanned, e.g., by using the camera on a smart phone, rather than mechanically scanned, e.g., by using a laser scanner.
Commercial applications for QR codes are primarily for informational purposes, like pricing information, but are also used in advertising as a way of encoding a URL. However, QR codes can be visually intrusive, irritating the viewer, and thus discouraging viewer interaction. QR codes may also be limited to a relatively small amount of information due to format constraints. Generally, the more content a QR code contains, the more extensive and intrusive it becomes. For example, a content-heavy QR is generally heavily pixelated and is more likely to create a visual artifact that degenerates the art. Some content-heavy QR codes may even look almost like a black square. In addition, using a plurality of QR codes in a single advertisement may confuse the viewer because one QR code may look similar to the other ones. QR readers are additionally limited to processing only one code at a time, unless they have been commercially modified for other purposes.
At present, there is no available method to integrate QR codes into an image or video so that it is part of the image or video frame. Current use of QR codes for such purposes embed the QR code near the image.